Timeless is a proprietary water-based, non-yellowing print varnish that has been developed to protect, preserve and enhance fine art and photographic prints produced on digital inkjet printers. Timeless was developed to be a significant upgrade to the available print varnishes on the market and delivers great protection and ease of use.
EASE OF USE - There is no mixing required; the product is ready to use exactly as you receive it. It is very easy to hand-roll and spray using HVLP.
EXTREMELY FAST DRYING - This product dries extremely fast, making it one of the most admired features of early users.
STRONG UV PROTECTION - Timeless is manufactured with high levels of UV inhibitors.
CLEAR FINISH - Once dry, the finish is crystal clear.
ANTI-FUNGALS - An important addition, especially for high humidity environments
INCREDIBLE HIGH GLOSS - Our gloss is extremely high and has already convinced glossy canvas users, who typically require an extremely high gloss, to switch to our Lyve Canvas and Timeless as their new and superior solution.
FINALLY A TRUE MATTE - Imagine, an invisible finish for your canvas prints. The industry has been waiting too long for this. It was very expensive to make, but we did it. Try this on a Fine Art Paper and display your prints without glass! See how here.
COLOUR ENHANCEMENT - Timeless (Satin or Gloss) will enhance the colour of pigmented and ultrachrome inks.
SCUFF & FADE RESISTANCE - Increased resistance to scuffing and image fading. It will protect your expensive images against moisture and abrasion.
CLEAN UP - Timeless is very easy to clean up: just use warm water! No soap or chemicals required, just run your foam rollers through warm water until clean. For HVLP spray guns, simply run warm water through the gun until the spray is clear and you're done. For both the foam rollers and HVLP spray gun, cleaning soon after you've finished coating will make the cleaning process quick and easy.
We are recommending that all of our existing and new customers use Timeless due to the additional benefits described above. We will continue to offer Glamour 2 to all customers and have no plans to discontinue this successful product. Due to the release of Timeless, we are only recommending Glamour 2 to specific customers with unique production environments and who appreciate that this laminate is supplied in a concentrate form with the requirement that water is added and mixed. If you have any further questions about this please contact us.
For enhanced productivity and ease of use, we recommend using the Timeless varnish with our Timeless Roller Kit.
Listen in
IS IT NECESSARY TO LAMINATE CANVAS PRINTS?
We sat down with Breathing Color President Nick Friend and Vice President Adam Hill to answer this complex question, LISTEN HERE
Downloads
HOW TO ROLL COAT TIMELESS VARNISH
Both Timeless and Glamour 2 have a 6 month to a year shelf life, in proper storage conditions. We recommend a temperature-controlled environment in 65 75 degrees (F), 35-65% relative humidity, no direct sunlight on the containers, and preferably in the original screw-top containers or an airtight container of your own.
Both Timeless and Glamour 2 have their place in the coating world. Timeless does not need to be diluted and dries very quickly, where Glamour 2 has a slower dry time and contains helpful leveling agents. Read Breathing Colors blog post here for more information on which Breathing Color print varnish would be best for you.
A white, cloudy appearance in the coating is typically caused by the canvas or fine art print not being allowed enough time to outgas after coming off the printer. Outgassing is basically the process of water evaporating from aqueous inks during the drying process. Outgassing time will vary dependent upon temperature, humidity, and the amount of ink that is printed on the media. It is always safest to allow 24 hours for the print to dry prior to coating.
Since each person's environment and use of these products can vary, it can be difficult to put a firm number to how much surface area a gallon of coating will cover. With that in mind, our estimates are as follows:
A gallon of Timeless: 300-400 sq.ft.
A gallon of Glamour 2 (diluted 30% w/ distilled water): 390-520 sq.ft.
These issues are typically caused by too much coating. Since canvas needs to absorb coating eventy, too much coating creates air pockets in the canvas. When the air tries to escape, it pushes itself out either partially (air bubbles) or completely (pinholes). If you notice these issues while the print is still wet, simply go over these areas with your roller with light pressure (Timeless) or no pressure (Glamour II). If you are spraying with an HVLP gun, try going over the print with a light 2nd coat as this usually fills in the pinholes and breaks the air bubbles. This must be done while the print is wet.
Timeless needs to be applied with pressure, but reducing the amount of pressure when you finish coating is important. If you notice roller marks while the print is still wet, simply go over them with firm pressure and reduce the pressure with each roll movement. After a few seconds, each roller mark should disappear.
Be sure that you have used the correct print settings/profile for your printer and canvas. If the wrong media type is used you could potentially print with too much ink. If there is excess ink this will only dry on the surface and when coating with a foam roller, the excess ink will be agitated and come out on the roller (and your print).
If you have insured the proper print settings were used, make sure you allowed enough time for the print to dry. Ink can come up when the roller has changed directions since its an abrasive move, which causes more friction. With Timeless, this is especially important since it requires pressure to apply. Always apply coating in straight lines as this will not damage the print at all. Read more about ink lifting from your print onto your roller on Breathing Colors blog post here.
This depends on a few factors (temperature, humidity), but in most cases a print coated with Timeless will be dry in about an hour. Under ideal printing/coating conditions (50-70 degrees F; 30-50% indoor humidity), Timeless can dry in about half the time.
Canvas absorbs a little more ink then a standard photo paper (where ink dries on top of the inkjet receptive coating, thus requiring less ink). Canvas needs to outgas before you laminate it. Outgassing involves water evaporating from the ink during the drying process. This is why it is also important not to stack prints until they are completely dry. After completing your print, allow up to 24 hours before coating to allow outgassing to complete. Read Breathing Colors blog post here for more about how long you should let you prints dry before coating, and why?
If you have any flakes or chunks of coating in your container, the easiest way to remove them is through a strainer. Just fill your measuring cup with the amount needed, and pour through a strainer into another cup (or container). The strainer will catch everything solid and you can just throw it out. Dont have a strainer? Use a coffee filter. Just grab a large cup or container and tape a coffee filter to the rim. Then, slowly pour your coating into the filter. A coffee filter takes time for liquid to pass through it, so pour a little at a time. This is a good trick because it will pick up anything that isnt pure liquid, and the end result is a perfect mix of coating. Breathing Colors blog post here.
Our general rule is 2-3 minutes. To read more, click here.
Heat lamps are not suggested for drying Glamour II Veneer. In fact, cold air is the best way to dry Glamour II Veneer but be careful if you are considering a fan not to blow dust or debris onto a wet print.
Water is the only cleanup needed for Glamour II and Timeless to be removed from the foam roller and other surfaces. If the coating becomes difficult to remove from any surface, including the HVLP reservoir, 409 all purpose cleaner will disintegrate Glamour II and Timeless upon contact.
We do not recommend an air pressure setting as not all guns, air compressors, nozzles, etc. are the same. Therefore it is recommended that customers using an HVLP gun to coat with test several different pressure settings and coating techniques to determine the best solution for each unique setup is.
Glamour II Veneer giclee coating can be rolled on with a dense foam roller, sprayed on with an HVLP gun (50% dilution), or used with a roll coating machine (50% dilution). Timeless giclee coating can be rolled on with a dense foam roller or sprayed on with an HVLP gun.
When rolling Glamour II Veneer you are going to want to dilute it down 25%-30% with warm distilled water. You can apply the varnish directly to the print, and then immediately start to roll it onto the canvas. Do not apply pressure to the roller, and make multiple passes in opposite directions. A good way to know if you are almost done rolling, is to listen for the "sticky" sound of the varnish. This means that the coating has been worked into the canvas and is starting to dry. The more time you spend working the varnish into the canvas, the faster it will dry and the better your print will look. Wait 30 minutes in between coats for Timeless and 2-3 hours for Glamour II. Please allow at least a full 24 hours for your print to dry before varnishing. You can find more information on varnishing on Breathing Colors blog.
Glamour 2 and Timeless work with various artist paints for embellishment, however it is always recommended that you perform a test with a small scrap of coated canvas to avoid a negative reaction.
Air bubbles can be caused by a variety of things. Breathing Color has tested every single possible variable to the foam rolling process of coating. Most of the time bubbles in the print are caused by "under rolling." You want to cover your print by going in multiple directions, not just one. The canvas has to "drink" the coating in. If you see bubbles at the start of your coating process, it is the canvas sucking the coating into the print. The desired dilution ratio of water to coating for Glamour 2 is 30% water 70% coating. There has been cases of bubbles forming from over diluted coating. Please allow the canvas 24 hours of dry time as well. After 24 hours when you come back to your print, youl will notice that the bubbles have disappeared.
As long as you are using a water-resistant inkjet canvas or fine art paper with pigment inks you should have no problems with using Glamour II or Timeless. Both varnishes are water based liquid lamination coating that is practically odorless and is easily applied with a foam roller. We also have instructional videos on Breathing Colors blog which guide you through the liquid lamination (coating) process.
Once the print has completely dried, you should have no problem rolling it up. Keep in mind that when the print is exposed to extremely hot or humid temperatures, it may have a tendency to soften and stick to itself. For this reason it is always recommended to protect each print with a sheet of an acid-free barrier paper.